Method123

As a Project Manager, you will always be under pressure to deliver your project faster than people expect. It’s a tough challenge, but by using the tips and tricks listed below you can deliver your project before the deadline and reduce your stress along the way... Deliver your Projects Faster Here are 5 tips for delivering projects faster... Tip 1: Find Shortcuts in your Plan Project Managers usually spend 80% of their time executing and 20% planning. The reason is that the Execution phase is where the excitement is, so they roll their sleeves up and get started executing as quickly as possible. But if you spend extra time in the Planning phase, then you can usually identify shortcuts which enable you to produce the same project outcome in less time. So when you think your project plan ( project management template ) is complete, take extra time to re-look at your plan from the point of view of delivering it faster. By doing this, you’ll find that you can schedule things to be done in...

Project Management Professional Enquiries and Answers What is the latest version of MPMM Project Management Professional? The latest version is 4.4.0.16 - but there are a few changes between previous versions. Is this version aligned with the new PMBOK 4th Edition? Mostly yes. You can have a look at how it is aligned here http://www.mpmm.com/project-management-best-practices.php Do you have a change log which highlights the changes from previous MPMM versions? Yes we have one internally, but it's confidential as it logs all of the bugs fixed and architectural changes. What is the release date for MPOM? It seems to be in developer for a very long time now. Could I get access to alpha or beta content if available? We have not been able to start it, because our site Project Manager.com has taken off, consuming all of our spare resources. It is unlikely that we will be able to start it until early 2010.

Methodology Questions Q: Does TenStep setup come with MPMM? A: No, the two products are completely separate. TenStep provides Project Management Consulting whereas MPMM provides a Project Management Tool for Project Managers. Q: When saving templates from MPMM Professional what format are they saved in? A: They are in Microsoft Word and Excel format. Q: I see the price of the Project Management Software has been reduced by $100 til 8/31, are there any other discuounts you have on MPMM Professional. A: This is the only discount advertised on our website. Q: Can this project management software be bought in stores or is it only online? I've had bad experiences buying software on line from companies other not as well known as Microsoft and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to think of spending $500 and I have nothing in hand to show for it. A: It is only available online. The reason is that we often update it, so by purchasing online project management, you get free upgrades in the ...

Every project has its fair share of politics. And as a Project Manager it’s your job to cut through it to make sure that your project stays on track and delivers the outcome expected. But it’s no easy job. So you might like to read this newsletter to learn... How to Manage Project Politics What happens when your Project Sponsor wants a slightly different outcome for the project than your Customer, Management Team and other Stakeholders want? The answer is that each party tries to influence the project to get what they want—and this is known as “Project Politics”. The result is that the team are constantly pushed in different directions, trying to keep everyone happy, but not really doing what they were originally tasked to do which was to deliver a single outcome for the project. In this scenario, the project team becomes stressed, confused, de-motivated and inefficient. So it’s your job as a Project Manager to ensure this doesn’t happen. Here’s how to prevent it (other than using Proj...

MPMM Customer Questions and Answers 1. I'd like to be professional in management, so my question is, is this online project management program enough to lead me to be a project management professional to manage my projects? Yes MPMM Professional contains all of the information you require, to become a professional project manager. 2. I plan to get a PMP certification, what is your advice for this? Yes we agree that the PMP certification is the best in the market, so you should certainly get it. 3. Does the MPMM Project Management program includes help documents that I can print it and use as a good guide during work? Yes MPMM includes help documents, as well as templates and "how to" guides. The MPMM Project Management Methodology also provides you with case studies to help you view examples of other projects. 4. Is it possible to attend a seminar or get training through the internet after I purchase the MPMM Project Management Software? We don't offer formal trainin...

Q - Can staff in another country access the MPMM Project Management Process and would performance of the system be affected? A - As the usually method of access is using Sharepoint, then your staff will be able to access the system from anywhere on the planet. Q - What is the date of the most recent version of the MPMM Project Management Enterprise edition? A - The most recent version was released only on the 6/13/09. Client Questions 1. What is the most suitable payment method? You can either pay by Credit Card online or by Purchase Order and then Wire Transfer and then Check. 2. What kind of documentation does the client need to sign with MPMM project management process to ensure their investment in the product is protected? Just the license agreement mentioned above. 3. Any other information that I need to be aware of to ensure that the sale and implementation of the product is executed perfectly. I think you have covered it all. They were great questions as a Project Manager ! I ...

Q: Is it possible to interface with the project methodology system , using SharePoint as the document repository? A: Yes definitely. Currently, 100% of customers use Sharepoint for their intranet document repository. If you would like someone to give you a call about how this works, then just let me know. I definitely think you need to know how it works in depth, for your presentation. Q: What are the post-acquisition costs - first 12 months and thereafter? A: Currently, we have free support and maintenance costs for the first 12 months. At some point in the future (likely between 2-3 years time), we may implement a 15% maintenance charge for upgrades, but it's not definite yet. So the answer is Zero post-acquisition costs. Q: How will upgrades be delivered and how frequently? A: We typically do major releases every 6 months. You need to uninstall and reinstall the project management software to upgrade. At the moment, our developers are working full time on www.ProjectManager.com ...

Q: How is the enterprise version deployed? A: You can download and install the project management software , from the MPMM website. Either you can install it in stand-alone mode, or in shared mode. In shared mode, you will all access a common database. The database installation is handled when you first install the product. Usually, IT support are not required as it doesn't require any special privileges on the server to install it. Q: Are there any limits on number of persons who can use the system at the same time, e.g. in a large training session? A: The database uses the Microsoft Jet Engine, which we are told can handle up to 200 concurrent users, however this volume of concurrent users has not been tested. It's fair to say that most people that purchase MPMM Enterprise should not have a large number of people whom access the content concurrently. Instead, they have purchased it to be able top publish the content on their intranet - for which they can have as many people a...

Do you regularly have to attend Project Meetings? If you do, then read these tips to learn how to run them quickly and easily... Tips for Running Project Meetings Everyone dislikes meetings that drag on. So your job is to make it focused, highly driven and to add a sense of purpose.  If you do this, then  you’ll boost team motivation and morale. Here are 5 tips to help you... Tip 1: Plan wisely To make sure you get the most out of your meetings, you need to plan them wisely. Prior to each meeting, write down 3 goals that you want from the meeting. Here are some examples: √ “I want the team to know we’re on track” √ “I want any issues or risks to be raised” √ “I want them to feel valued and motivated” Then you need to work out how you’re going to achieve your goals. The next few tips will help you with this… Tip 2: Open and close carefully Like in theatre, people most remember the opening and the closure the most. So open and close your meetings carefully.  When you open the meeting, te...

Project Management News: Innovators in the online project management space, Method123 today announced that they have released a new toolset for documenting business cases in an organization. The new toolset provides teams with project management templates for all of the initial steps involved in starting up a project, including the documentation of a business case, feasibility study and project charter. "These new tools help a project manager to put a solid stake in the ground before they set out" says Jason Westland, CEO of Method123 Ltd. "If you want to deliver projects successfully, then you need to identify upfront, what it is that the project is setting out to achieve. The business case template helps you do that. You can quickly and easily set out the project vision, objectives and scope of the project and agree them with your project sponsor. The template then helps you to do a cost benefit analysis to determine whether the project is financial viable. And lastl...

Can you give me a few technical details on the MPMM Project Methodologies multi-user / server edition? Q: Which database technology is used - available? A: The database we use is the Microsoft Jet Engine, which is compatible with all Windows platforms. Q: What are the server requirements? Dependencies on existing software such as MS SQL, Oracle? A: There are none. The database is just treated as a file. As part of the install process, you simply save the Database File to a shared folder and the clients can access it. Q: What type of communication will take place between client and server? Direct database connections, XML? A: Yes there is a direct connection between the client and the server, so there shouldn’t be any firewalls in between. Q: Any idea on bandwidth requirements for clients to access the database? A: Minimal. We have lots of customers in South Africa for instance, where bandwidth is usually fairly poor. Q: Which technologies were used for the development of the MPMM Proje...

Trial Query I have just downloaded the MPMM Project Management Professional Trial. For some reason the download is not completing. Can you please advise? Trial Answer The Project Management Life Cycle trial is working fine from our end. Could you please let me know what the error was that you experienced when trying to download the trial? Please try to download MPMM from www.mpmm.com/products/mpmmprofessionalsetup.exe again and send me a screenshot so that we can help you download the trial. The problem could also be a company firewall software issue, as your computer could be preventing the file from self-extracting on your PC. You are best to try from another PC, or from home. Let us know how you get on.

Every Project Manager has old documentation lying around, they they often refer to for new projects. But it takes time to sift through it all to find what you want, only then to have to rewrite it all for your new project. That’s where templates come in useful. Read on, to learn... The Value of Project Templates We’re often asked “Why are templates so valuable” so we thought we’d answer the question in this newsletter. There are 5 reasons why managers and teams find templates so useful. They are as follows: They save you time On every new project, you have to fill-in documents to plan, track and report on the status of your project. The process of filling in documents, takes time. Especially when many of the documents are a one-off. By using templates, you can save time completing project documents. Well written templates should already be pre-formatted with all of the sections, tables, charts and forms you need to fill-in. This way, you can avoid having to spend time formatting your d...